* Leaked Wonderlic scores happen each and every year much to the chagrin of agents and players everywhere. The latest casualty of the leak is LSU CB Morris Claiborne who reportedly scored a 4 out of 50 on the test making it one of the lowest scores I’ve ever seen. And guess what? It doesn’t matter.

Wonderlic scores are important for some positions and considered relatively unimportant for others. Teams generally prefer at least average scores for quarterbacks, linebackers and offensive linemen while the scores of cornerbacks and defensive linemen are considered much less important as those positions are more instinctive in nature. Claiborne’s score might embarrass him, but it won’t cause a ripple in his draft stock.

* Texans fans are understandably concerned about the loss of Eric Winston and Mike Brisiel on the right side of the line, but things might not be as bad as we are expecting. I spoke with a Texans player who told me that Antoine Caldwell played with two high ankle sprains for the entire year and it greatly affected his ability to man his position. This same player thought Caldwell looked great during camp but said he got really down on himself when he wasn’t able to play at a high level while playing through his injuries. Caldwell needs to be healthy and better than he was last year.

Antoine Caldwell

This same player commented on Rashad Butler’s ability in pass protection saying that “there shouldn’t be any drop-off in terms of protection” but he did admit that Butler was a little bit stiff as a run blocker. Keep an eye on second year offensive tackle Derek Newton from Arkansas State. Newton has good size and is a better overall athlete than Butler. I wouldn’t expect the Texans to trust their starting RT spot to a player with very little game experience like Newton, but he could end up being their RT of the future which is why I don’t see them drafting a tackle in the first two rounds of the draft.

My biggest area of concern for the right side of the line now is the running game. The zone scheme is all about repetition and execution and it takes time to accumulate both. There isn’t any possible way that the offensive line is going to be better this year because they haven’t played together yet. I’m just hoping there isn’t a big fall-off. How important is the right side of the line to the Texans? In 2011 the Texans ran 43% of the time to the right, 18% middle, 38% to the left. We’ll probably see those numbers shift slightly.
* Looking for a player flying up draft boards? Look no further than Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus. Mercilus will be taken inside the first 20 picks and now I’m hearing rumors about a couple of teams who are interested in trading up for Mercilus. Mercilus is very raw but has all the tools a team wants. He can play in a 4-3 or a 3-4 (OLB), but teams are banking on projecting his talent more than on his production on the college level.
* Here are the new Texans uniforms…. nothing new really catches the eye. I know the collar is different but I was expecting more from Nike. Trust me, I’m glad they didn’t Nike it up like they do with the college uniforms they come in contact with, but I was hoping for something better than we see now. Let me know what you think.